


Share Your Secrets

by VeloxVoid



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Coming Out, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/F, First Impressions, First Kiss, First Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Gay Edelgard von Hresvelg, Girls Kissing, Head empty only pretty girl, Love at First Sight, Role Reversal, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Surprise Kissing, Top Edelgard von Hresvelg, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23821903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeloxVoid/pseuds/VeloxVoid
Summary: One member of the Black Eagles house is quiet. But, that doesn’t mean she isn’t beautiful.Edelgard’s breath is taken away upon seeing Dorothea, and she realises she wants nothing more than to get to know her better. Her attempts at romance, however, are not always the smoothest.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault & Edelgard von Hresvelg, Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Edelthea - Relationship, dorogard
Comments: 16
Kudos: 122





	1. Chapter 1

Caspar gave his hearty laugh at Edelgard's side, placing a hand on the shoulder of Linhardt, who he seemed so amused by. "Oh, man! Edelgard, you should hear this!"

Edelgard felt herself roll her eyes at him almost instinctually. She truly did appreciate and respect every member of her House, but sometimes their matters of conversation could be so trivial.

"It'd be so fun to bench-press you, Lin!" Caspar chirped, placing his hands upon his hips.

"Over my dead body," was his sleepy response.

Edelgard gave them a chuckle; she found she had to admire Caspar's enthusiasm for most things. As the three of them stood around the stables, waiting for Ferdinand to join them for an afternoon training session, some of the Black Eagles had grown tired of waiting.

"C'mere, Lin--" Caspar approached him with arms outstretched.

"I am _not_ letting you bench-press me!" the young mage hissed in response.

Edelgard laughed. _Oh_ , to be so carefree - to have so few concerns. The life of an Emperor-to-be was growing more and more complicated by the minute, but Edelgard tried to let herself relax. She did not like waiting so much, and she looked around the stables in the hopes she'd see Ferdinand heading towards them…

Until a sight behind Caspar made her heart momentarily stop.

Edelgard had seen the woman before only a handful of times; a quiet member of the Black Eagles, who walked so gracefully towards one of the stables that she could have been floating. She was quite tall, but dainty, with a slim frame and features so delicate she looked as though a gust of wind could break her. Thankfully, though, it didn't - a breath of a breeze swept through her hair and tousled it beautifully: bouncy, chest-length curls that crowned her head beneath a stylish hat.

She'd seen her before: _Dorothea_ . An outlier of the Black Eagles, being the only one not of noble birth, but sporting so much prowess that she'd been welcomed in with open arms. But, she was quiet. She almost seemed shy, what with her reluctance to spend time with the other Eagles, but not in the same way as Bernadetta. _No_ \- Dorothea was almost withdrawn; quiet, and reserved, and preferring to study alone.

"What's up, Edelgard?" Caspar poked the heir of Hresvelg in the arm. "Your face is all…"

"… spooked," Linhardt finished.

"Wh-What?" Edelgard pushed Caspar's hand away, watching as the girl stopped walking. She turned to face inside one of the stables, placing both hands upon the short gate she stood in front of that kept the horses from escaping. A smile crept onto Edelgard's face as she watched the animal inside come to greet her - the tall, graceful creature nibbled at her fingers as she began to stroke its nose, tickling its ears. _An animal-lover?_ Edelgard breathed a contented sigh at the sight of her. 

Her heart seemed to resume beating only when Caspar sidled up to her, following Edelgard's gaze. "Are you staring at that girl?" 

"Maybe."

"Why?"

Edelgard looked at him now, at the eyes that matched the midday sky and brimmed with curiosity. His eyebrows were inquisitive, and a full-hearted smile grinned up at her. He was so nosy - so intrusive - to be poking around in Edelgard's interests. She tossed her hair over her shoulder in response. "For she is more interesting than waiting around for Ferdinand."

"So that means you get to stare at this random girl?"

 _Random girl?_ Was Caspar really so oblivious? Did he not know that this woman was a Black Eagle? Edelgard rolled her eyes at him once more and brought up her hand, indicating for him to stay where he was as her feet began to take her towards Dorothea, who had so successfully piqued her interest.

As Edelgard approached, however, a sensation overcame her. Something she had never quite felt before. Suddenly, she felt rather like lead; the shoes she wore felt heavy and clumsy - her cape almost a dead weight upon her shoulder. Dorothea wore a beautiful spin on the academy's uniform - a stylish blouse, short shirt and handsome knee-high boots. It took Edelgard's breath away; she felt utterly shadowed in comparison.

She managed to reach the stables regardless, standing beside Dorothea and holding out her palm to the horse, which nuzzled its nose into her. Dorothea turned to Edelgard with almost anxious eyes.

"I didn't know you liked horses," Edelgard said to her softly, as she would to an animal she didn't want to frighten off.

"Oh," Dorothea's voice was quiet, and her eyes flickered back to the horse, where she ran her delicate, lithe fingers down its neck. "I'm not overly fond. But, I find them… calming." As she spoke, her tone rose and fell in a way that made her voice sound wonderfully melodic.

Edelgard chuckled slightly. "I think so, too."

The dark-haired girl looked back at Edelgard, with a face so pretty it threatened to stop her heart. Her loose curls encircled her face, in which her eyes shone out a fantastic emerald colour. Her skin was a little tanned, like the summer sun's rays heating a beach's soft, smooth sands. "Does this horse have a name?" she asked.

Edelgard couldn't stop herself from smiling - it was the first time she'd ever heard the girl initiate conversation. "I believe so," she said. "A student from the Golden Deer house is fond of this one. She has named her Dorte."

The girl made a thoughtful noise; even her hums sounded musical. "That's a pretty name."

"I agree," Edelgard breathed. Never before had she been rendered so quiet - had she wanted to come across as gentle and delicate, instead of as the powerful leader she knew she'd need to be. Alas, Dorothea was like a flower - to be treated lightly, and cherished. Edelgard did not want to scare her off with her often-imposing air.

Dorothea turned to her once more. "Forgive me, but… you're Lady Edelgard, aren't you?"

"Please," the heir of Hresvelg held up a humbled hand. "You need only call me Edelgard."

Dorothea gave a tight-lipped smile. "I did not expect you to want to talk to me."

A heat rose to Edelgard's cheeks, and she silently begged for it to not show up in a silly pink blush. "Whyever not?"

"I suppose… since I am the only Black Eagle not of noble birth--"

"Dorothea!" Edelgard had to interrupt, pressing her lips shut at once at her outburst. When she spoke again, her words were much more gentle. "I would never judge my classmates based on their birth status," she said with earnest. "I know that you are more than deserving of a seat in our house, regardless of your heritage."

"Why, and to think you even know my name…" Dorothea responded, her face taking on a look of embarrassment.

Edelgard fumbled over her words; this was not the first impression she'd wanted to make. Was that why Dorothea had always been so quiet? Was she frightened of Edelgard, and her status…?

Dorothea brought her hand to Dorte's nose and stroked it gently. "I apologise, if I haven't been amicable. It's just that… in honesty, I find it a little hard to relate to some things around here," she said, making Edelgard's heart sink. Before she got a chance to speak, however, Dorothea suddenly looked shocked - her eyes growing wide. "Oh, I… I need to go…" she said hurriedly, and took off walking in the opposite direction.

Edelgard hesitated for a second in disbelief before calling after her. "Dorothea! Are you okay?"

The brunette wheeled around, a pink colour flushing her whole face. "I…I just forgot something! Forgive me!" And after that, she span around again and almost ran, her legs working fast to take her away from the scene.

Edelgard felt the contents of her stomach turn to water, a chill embracing her skin. What… had happened? It had been going so well - she'd _finally_ managed to speak to the quiet, angelic girl who seemed to desperate to avoid them…

Perhaps she was more like Bernadetta than first anticipated.

"Heh, did you offend her or something?" Caspar had approached her now, a somewhat pitiful look upon his cocky little face.

"I do not want to hear another word from you, Caspar," Edelgard told him firmly, her pride wounded.

Hubert had joined Caspar and Linhardt while she'd been occupied. "Lady Edelgard, I did not know you were well-acquainted with Dorothea Arnault." 

Edelgard's eyes widened at him. " _You_ know her?"

"Why, yes." The way he blinked down at her was almost shocked. "She has been dabbling in Reason--"

"Tell me all you know about her."

"Woah, Edelgard," Caspar looked confused. "What's your problem with this girl?"

Edelgard's chest was fluttering like nothing she'd ever felt before - that was her problem with her. Imagining her face made her heart leap and her stomach tickle… But, she was the heir to the Empire. The last of House Hresvelg. She couldn't exactly let slip that she had what appeared to be a _crush_ … could she? "I don't have a problem with her," Edelgard said. "She's just… cute. That's all."

The three men before her all gave different expressions. While Caspar's was confused, and Linhardt's soft, Hubert's pale eyes grew hard and bewildered.

"What do you mean, 'cute'?" Caspar asked.

"As in, how people seem to find kittens cute?" Hubert joined in.

"Kittens _are_ cute," Caspar told him. "Like you wanna squish her and pet her?" 

Edelgard gave them a strained look. "No."

"Or, like you think she's pretty?" Linhardt's eyes were heavy-lidded - his expression was vacant, but somehow he seemed almost knowing.

"Yes," Edelgard said, feeling a warmth flutter in her chest. 

Hubert gave a sort of scoff, eyebrows still drawn. "Lady Edelgard, she is… but a commoner."

"Hey!" Caspar's feistiness flared up. "Who cares about that!? What _I_ was wondering was, does Edelgard really--?" But he turned to her, face falling as he realised what he'd been about to say.

"Do I what?" Edelgard asked them all, a smile curling her lip at their confoundment. Was this really such a difficult concept to grasp?

"You're, um… into girls?" he whispered. 

Hubert blinked at her in disbelief. "Lady Edelgard?" 

Edelgard shrugged. "Perhaps I am."

And she had her sights set on one in particular. It seemed Dorothea could be a slippery one, but Edelgard was determined to make her feel welcome in the Black Eagle house. And perhaps, along the way… she could get to know her better.


	2. Chapter 2

"There she is again!" Caspar slapped his hands down upon the table opposite where Edelgard sat, making the young woman jump a mile.

" _Caspar--!_ " she scolded, but the boy's voice grew hushed.

"Shh, you might frighten her off!" And he pointed further down the dining hall, to where Dorothea stood serving herself a meal.

It had been two days since the Black Eagles had seen her last. Edelgard had previously thought Bernadetta shy, but at least Bernadetta had warmed up to her fellow students. She was skittish, and anxious, and she stuttered frantically when spoken to, but Dorothea…?

Dorothea was different. She was quiet, but not like Bernadetta. When spoken to, she did not squeak and hide beneath her hair. Rather, she spoke almost ceremoniously, without a single waver beneath her melodic voice. So, why was she so elusive? Why did she not sit with the rest of her house during meals, and why had she not shown up to any of the ice-breaker activities that had been scheduled?

Classes officially started tomorrow; then, Dorothea would _have_ to face her classmates. Edelgard had hoped to corner her tomorrow morning, aiming to speak to her once more, to learn more about the wonderful, evasive young woman she had met once before. Now, it seemed she wouldn’t have to.

Standing abruptly, the leader of the Black Eagles house excused herself before jogging through the dining hall. Dorothea still stood, tossing her sleek chocolate curls over one shoulder, looking at the dishes arrayed before her.

"M-Miss Arnault!" Edelgard called as she approached, cursing herself for her volume: she was not the quietest when excited.

Dorothea turned, face bemused, and her lips parted. “Lady Edelgard,” she said, surprised.

Edelgard was almost out of breath by the time she stopped, smiling widely. She took a few breaths and nodded in Dorothea’s direction. The other woman merely blinked at her. And then, Edelgard realised.

She had no idea what she wanted to say.

Heat rose to her cheeks at once, a sweat flushing her. “So, um,” she mumbled, placing her hands on her hips and looking down at the food sat before them; potatoes, lightly roasted, with herbs sprinkled on top. “You’re looking at the potatoes?” she asked uselessly.

To her surprise, however, Dorothea chuckled. “I am! Aren’t they intriguing?”

“Y-Yes!” Edelgard blurted, relief flooding her and sending her panicked heart to beating. “Very!”

“I was joking,” said Dorothea, her eyebrows drawn.

_Sothis be damned! Edelgard, you fool--!_

“I was just wondering what these herbs could be. See, they look like rosemary, and I’m not the most fond of rosemary. It could be thyme, though. And thyme is delectable!” She turned to Edelgard, curls bouncing around her heart-shaped face. “What do you think?”

And Edelgard found herself drowning in those sea-green eyes. Like an ocean, they swallowed her up – so deep and endless, unable to ever be fully explored. Flecks of gold shone out, like rays of sun dappled across the water’s surface, while tiny pools of blue promised the deep, dark crevasses of the depths beneath.

She was beautiful. Entrancing. If Edelgard didn’t know better, she would believe she stood before Sothis herself--

“Hello?” asked Dorothea, those eyes now anxious. “Are you with me?”

Edelgard was startled. “What?”

And, surprising her once more, Dorothea laughed. It was the first time she had heard it, but the sound was charming: as delicate as wind chimes and as musical as a song. Yet, she was laughing at _her;_ at her utter incompetence, losing herself in Dorothea’s beauty and forgetting the question.

“I’m-I’m so sorry!” she stuttered, trying to soothe the beating to her heart.

“My, you’ve gone all red! Was it something I said?” Dorothea asked, residual giggles leaking from her throat. “Did I offend your favourite herb?”

“No, no,” Edelgard assured her, tucking a lock of her own hair behind her ear. “I was just… pondering, that’s all!” And she thought hard, casting her mind back to the question at hand.

_Rosemary? Or thyme?_ She peered into the dish of potatoes, and the smell of hot melted butter hit her nostrils. Her mouth watered at once as it mingled with the scent of garlic and herbs, and she saw small green sprigs nestled amongst the roast.

“Rosemary,” she said with confidence. “It’s a common dish, rosemary-infused potatoes, but you can tell from the look of them, see?” She pointed to the herbs. “Rosemary looks like small sprigs, whereas thyme tends to look like little leaves.”

And when she looked up, she found those startling eyes staring entranced into her own. Dorothea, however, was more composed than Edelgard had been. “I see. _Someone_ pays attention in culinary class.”

Edelgard blushed once more. “I… enjoyed tending to the herb garden with my mother, that’s all…”

“Cute,” Dorothea murmured, an almost satisfied smile cradling her plump pink lips. “Well, if it’s rosemary, I’m not interested.” She picked up her plate and moved further along the table.

Edelgard stood for a moment, stunned, before following. “What sorts of foods are more to your taste, then?”

“Hm... I like sweet stuff, really.” Dorothea squinted, inspecting a leg of lamb.

“Oh, you won’t like that. It has rosemary on top too.”

“Ugh! I swear, this kitchen...” And she moved further along.

Keeping pace, the heir of Hresvelg began to feel rather like a lost puppy, trailing behind Dorothea aimlessly. “What kinds of sweet stuff?” she pressed.

Dorothea stopped moving and turned to Edelgard suddenly, smirking a little. “Since coming here, I’ve found my favourite food _ever.”_

“You have?” asked Edelgard. She felt a warmth in her chest as Dorothea’s eyes lit up, a fluttering feeling beginning to tingle in the pit of her stomach.

“Oh, yes.” And then she sang: “Saghert and cream!”

Her voice was only quiet, but it made Edelgard gasp nonetheless. She sang with power, with confidence, the melody immaculate.

“Oh, sorry,” she then chirped, watching Edelgard stare. “It’s just… so good!”

The butterflies seemed to burst inside Edelgard’s stomach, swelling up into her chest and tickling her until she chuckled. “I feel the same!” she replied earnestly. “And the peach sorbet too--”

_“Yes!”_ Dorothea looked delighted. “They’re the two best foods Garreg Mach serves, and that’s a fact!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Edelgard breathed. _Good._ This was good. This was _perfect!_ They had something in common – something to bond over--

An idea struck her.

“Hey,” Edelgard said, her tone taking on something darker. “I’ve got an idea.”

Dorothea’s attention was piqued. She cocked her head, face lighting up with mischief. “Oh?”

“Forget dinner. Let’s skip straight to desserts.”

A smile – an ecstatic one. “Oh, Edelgard, you have my heart.”

Something about that stirred the butterflies more, made them spread to her fingertips and toes, making her buzz with excitement. Perhaps her own words had been poorly chosen – lacking thought – but in this moment, Edelgard didn’t care. She was bonding with Dorothea, had shared laughs and jokes with her, and that was all that mattered. The chilly walls that Dorothea had built around herself – that had blocked a path between them in their last meeting – had been melted away, and Edelgard felt half a child again in her glee.

And as she led the other girl to the kitchens, sneaking through the door reserved only for Garreg Mach’s staff and into the corridor beyond, she let a thought slip. “Dorothea, why did you run away when last we met?”

Dorothea stopped in her tracks, the staff door swinging shut behind her to block out the bustle of the dining hall. Now, they were in silence, and Edelgard became aware of the pulse rushing in her ears. They were alone, embraced in the corridor’s low light. Dorothea took a moment’s hesitation. “If I’m honest... I didn’t want you growing too close to me.”

Edelgard took a step closer, concern eating away at the delight within her. “Whyever not?”

Of course, she did not know Dorothea yet. Not really. A spark had lit between the two of them during one conversation, but that was all.

The next words that left Dorothea’s mouth confirmed that. “Because I’m just a commoner, after all.”

“Why would I care about that?” Another step closer. “You’re a Black Eagle – we’re equals.”

“Are we really, though?” And just for a moment, a stutter edged Dorothea’s voice – one that seemed shy and apprehensive, reminiscent of Bernadetta. “Will we ever _truly_ be equal?”

Close enough now, Edelgard reached out her hands, wrapping them around Dorothea’s own. They were cold. Even the slightest touch set Edelgard’s chest alight, a flame within beginning to burn brightly. Was it a flame of anxiety, or sympathy, or... desire…?

Edelgard wasn’t sure. What she was sure of, however, was her next statement. “We can _make_ ourselves equal.”

Dorothea’s lips parted, her eyes widened, and Edelgard felt her chest tighten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot? Pacing? Who needs 'em!
> 
> I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated this! I honestly wrote it out of pure self-indulgence, I didn't expect anybody to actually like it. I was debating making it a one-shot but it's had such a positive response I can't help but offer more. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this and enjoyed it!
> 
> I'm @VeloxVoid on Twitter if anybody would like to see more of my ramblings there!


	3. Chapter 3

Was this the right place?

Edelgard looked down at the note in her hand. Despite being hastily scribbled on a scrap of parchment, the penmanship was astounding; flowing cursive letters looked as delicate as a breeze – as carefully-crafted as a stained-glass window, and infinitely more beautiful. She had found it on her desk at the end of the morning’s first class, but she had no doubts about who it was from.

She blinked down at it wistfully.

_ The tree beside the bridge~ _

Looking out at her surroundings, Edelgard saw the bridge sitting before her, stones pale and cold beneath the Great Tree Moon’s sun, which struggled to bear heat upon Fódlan through the fleeting remnants of the winter air. Beside the bridge sat a tree. A single, solitary oak reached up towards the overcast sky above with its gnarled fingers of branches, light green leaves just starting to lighten its silhouette. Its roots were nestled into a small bank, where the grass beneath it faded into dirt as it sloped down towards the river.

_The tree beside the bridge._ She was in the right spot.

So, where was Dorothea?

Edelgard looked around her, but saw no sign of the other young woman. She saw no sign of anybody else at all – no Knights of Seiros striding arrogantly around, no cleaners or students busying the place. She was completely alone, the only voice accompanying the one inside her head being the sigh of the wind. She bit her lip, suddenly anxious, before she heard a scuffle by the tree.

“Well hey,” sounded the musical tones of Dorothea’s voice. And as Edelgard turned, she saw the woman’s beaming face emerge from behind the trunk, hat sitting slightly crooked atop her chocolate curls.

Warmth flooded Edelgard’s chest at once and a bashful smile crossed her lips. “I was starting to fear I’d got the wrong place,” she admitted.

Dorothea blinked at her with those stunning green eyes – those eyes that could make the spring leaves look dull, make the grass look muddied – before she gave a chuckle. “Nope! Sorry if I’m late, I was just down by the river.”

“You can get to the river?” Edelgard asked, folding the note delicately and returning it to her pocket.

“Oh, yeah. I’m not sure if we’re allowed down there, but… it’s where I’ve been spending my time.” And with that, Dorothea beckoned Edelgard towards her with one hand.

So  _ this _ was where Dorothea had been hiding all this time…?

Cautious, she trod lightly as she made her way to the top of the riverbank. It was steep and uneven, but the dirt made a positive path downwards to where the waters glistened white and crystalline below. Dorothea began to hop down the path, so sure-footed and spritely that she looked reminiscent of a river nymph, lissom body accustomed to leaping down to the creek below.

Edelgard was not half so graceful. The soft dirt gave way beneath her feet and sent her slipping down the bank uncontrollably. Giving a little yelp as she did so alerted Dorothea, who let out a mischievous giggle and caught Edelgard by the armpits, their bodies colliding. When she opened her eyes from where she’d squeezed them shut in terror, she found herself looking up into a sight more radiant than the sun; the golden tones of Dorothea’s skin, a scarlet blush visible beneath her cheeks, and those stunning, fascinating eyes. Beneath the bright spring sky, the gold flecks glowed out even more fiercely, dancing like firelight. Edelgard could do nothing except sigh.

Strong arms were around her, holding her in place, and the world seemed to fall still around them. The river, which trickled so delicately, silenced. The birds chirping as they flew by overhead ceased their song. Even the clouds above seemed to stop moving, the breeze falling flat.

In that moment, only Edelgard and Dorothea existed. Their faces were close, and Edelgard became aware of a sudden scent filling her nose: a faint musk that rolled off of Dorothea’s collarbones, sweet and floral. A pleasing scent. One that clouded Edelgard’s brain with how alluring it smelled. She felt the heat from Dorothea's body against her own, and could swear she felt the fluttering heartbeat of the other woman as she noticed their chests were pressed together.

Edelgard blinked, the world returning to life all at once, and began to mutter absentmindedly; about how clumsy she was, how sorry she was, and how much of a fool of herself she must have made. She disentangled herself from Dorothea's grasp, taking a few steps back on the uneven ground beneath her, and ran her fingers through her hair, chuckling all the while.

To her surprise, and admittedly to her relief, Dorothea gave a laugh in return. "Don't worry," she said. "I've slipped once or twice too!" Yet beneath her voice was a definite breathlessness: an anxiousness.

She cleared her throat and hopped down the last of the path to a flat expanse of grass at the base of the riverbank, just wide enough for the both of them to stand on. It crept beneath the bridge slightly before tapering off. Edelgard skidded uneasily to a halt beside Dorothea before straightening out her uniform.

"Isn't it nice?" Dorothea asked, and Edelgard followed her pensive gaze.

It  _ was _ nice. It was beautiful. The river stretched out as far as the two young women could see, beyond the pale slate walls of Garreg Mach, carving its way through the steep slopes of its banks and weaving through the boundless fields beyond. Its surface reflected the clouds above them – a sheet of white, rippling with small spots of blue from where the sky dared to peek out. With the monastery towering above them as their backdrop, Edelgard had to press her lips together as a chill spread across her skin.

“This is… incredible,” she said.

Dorothea turned to her, smiling. “I’m glad you think so. Will you sit with me?"

And so she did: they both sat down upon the little patch of grass, resting their backs comfortably against the slope behind them. The sounds of the water rushing over the rocks filled their ears while a breeze rustled through the grass and their hair. They were comforting sounds. Natural ones. Ones that Edelgard found she had a new appreciation for. It was easy to get caught up in the politics of life: duties she’d have to fulfil as Emperor, honing her skills for battle, learning of the discontent in surrounding territories, despising the Church of Seiros, promising revenge on Those Who Slither In The Dark--

A death toll sounded in her mind at the thought of them. She squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head, trying desperately to force those memories out of her head. The experiments, the pain, the dark, dank cell she’d once been confined to. The silhouettes of strangers wanting nothing more than to hurt her; the sounds of their operations, the screams from her siblings – but above it all, the constant whispers of that one hateful word.  _ Crest, crest, crest-- _

“Hey.”

That voice was soft. It was warm, and new, and safe. It was light, but full – like a song. It filled Edelgard’s ears and made a soft, comforting light spread across the darkness beneath her eyelids; it flooded the cell she’d been kept in and made the chestnut brown pigment creep into her platinum hair again.

Edelgard opened her eyes and found Dorothea sitting beside her, by the creek below Garreg Mach. Her eyebrows, so neat and pretty, were drawn in concern, the eyelashes beneath them heavy as they blinked.

“Are you okay?”

_ No. _ Edelgard was not okay deep down – not really. She would never allow herself to admit it, though. Instead she felt a smile creep onto her lips – one so full and sincere that she could not keep it at bay – and said, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You didn’t look fine.”

Edelgard searched Dorothea’s oceanic eyes, but all she found within was trust. Trust, concern, and something else – something deeper that she could not quite place. “I just thought of a bad memory. That’s all.”

And a poignant smile played upon Dorothea’s lips – those full, pink lips that glistened slightly with a hint of lipstick. “Bad memories, huh?” she said, looking up into the sky. “Guess that’s something we have in common, then.”

Edelgard’s heart leapt. “You have them too…?”

“Hm,” Dorothea shrugged. “My childhood wasn’t the most fun.”

“Makes two of us.”

They locked eyes for a moment, giving each other a gaze that was so filled with sorrow and longing – with apologies that they could not have been there for the other, and that they'd had to endure such horrors. It was a glance overflowing with understanding, and the slightest happiness that they had found someone like-minded. Edelgard’s lips cracked into a smile and Dorothea followed suit; before they knew it, they were both giggling, clapping hands over their mouths and lifting their chins to the air to emit their bittersweet chimes of delight into the sky.

Edelgard didn’t know why. She didn’t know why her chest bubbled over with such a joy when mere moments ago she had been reliving her trauma. She didn’t know why she was laughing when Dorothea had just confessed her own woes. But she was, and Dorothea was too. And in one quick moment, she had planted her forehead against Dorothea’s shoulder, shuddering the last of her laughs into her while a hand slipped around her waist.

Dorothea's giggles subsided. “You know what, Edie? Maybe we _are_ more equal than I first thought,” she said, voice a breathless sigh.

Edelgard’s smile remained; she had so much she wanted to say. She wanted to reassure the other woman – to tell her that of _ course _ they were equal, and that she had nothing to fear. That she wasn’t any lesser of a person simply for her common status. Yet instead, only one thought rose to her lips. “Did you just call me Edie…?”

Dorothea blushed at once. “Oh, did I really say that out loud? It’s what I’ve been calling you in my head.”

Edelgard’s laugh in response came from deep within her chest. “I like it!”

“You do?”

“I do.”

Their faces were close again. Edelgard’s hand sat on Dorothea’s shoulder, and their knees touched from where they sat tucked up on the grass together. One of Dorothea’s slender, supple hands reached out to play with the white tresses of hair; her eyes did not stray from Edelgard’s own, however. A breeze played gently across their skin, the birds overhead began to sing their sweet spring melody, and Dorothea closed the space between them.

Their lips touched lightly at first, sending sparks coursing through Edelgard’s every vein. Her eyes drifted closed, she tilted her head slightly, and felt the kiss grow harder; more passionate. Dorothea’s lips were so soft and warm, plump and a little sticky from the lipstick that coated them, but Edelgard wanted more. Her breath was minty, mingling with her perfume to create a beautiful scent – a natural, delicate, _perfect_ scent that Edelgard wanted nothing more than to lose herself in.

She cupped Dorothea’s jaw in one hand and slipped the other around the back of her neck. Dorothea’s held onto the small of her back, pulling her in closer.

In that moment, Edelgard wished time would simply stop. The moment was everything she could have dreamed of; in the embrace of this mysterious, entrancing woman, their lips connected, finally feeling at one with somebody. Finally feeling like somebody understood her – like she had somebody to share her secrets with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everybody enjoyed this short but sweet adventure into a little Edelthea headcanon I had :) I'm happy to call it complete for the moment but, who knows, if any certain ideas strike me for it, I could always open it back up...
> 
> Feel free to follow me on Twitter - @VeloxVoid - if you'd like more of an update on the stuff I have in the works!
> 
> Thank you to everybody who has written a nice comment, or left kudos, or even just read this and enjoyed it - your support means the world <3


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